Blender mixer attachments for use with household garbage disposer units

ABSTRACT

A blender mixer attachment adapted to be drivingly connected through a sink drain opening to the rotor of a household garbage disposal unit, including novel support means for the blender container to resist lateral and vertical movement when the blender is in its position of use.

United States Patent inventor BLENDER MIXER ATTACHMENTS FOR USE WITH HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE DISPOSER UNITS 11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 241/101,

1 259/108 Int. Cl r. B0lf 7/16 Field of Search 259/107,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,968 4/1954 Dunbar.

2,758,623 8/1956 Maiz.

2,781,175 2/1957 Metzger.

3,159,355 12/1964 Delamater.

Primary ExaminerRobert W. Jenkins Att0rney -Scrivener, Parker, Scrivener & Clarke ABSTRACT: A blender mixer attachment adapted to be drivingly connected through a sink drain opening to the rotor of a household garbage disposal unit, including novel support means for the blender container to resist lateral and vertical movement when the blender is in its position of use.

so so 1 10 1e a as 26 32 so as 3 as 52 5 4 as 7 1a BLENDER MIXER ATTACHMENTS FOR USE WITH HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE DISPOSER UNITS This invention relates to attachments for garbage disposal units and more particularly to a mixer or blender attachment which may be powered by the motor of a garbage disposal unit.

Garbage disposal units have very nearly become standard equipment in modern day dwellings and this is especially so in newly constructed apartments and housing developments. In addition to garbage disposers, there has been an increasing use of rotary blenders or mixers of the type which comprise a container for liquids and the like at the bottom of which is an impeller connected by a vertical shaft to coupling means readily engageable with a spindle driven by a high-speed electric motor carried in a base member, which is usually seated on a counter top.

A feature of this type of blender is that relatively small motors are utilized and in order to generate sufficient torque to effectively drive the impeller, the motors must be operated at very high speeds ranging between 8,000 and 20,000 r.p.m. A motor operating at this speed produces a disagreeably high noise level often approaching the lower limit of human tolerance and in apartments the use of blenders is particularly objectionable because of the proximity of neighbors. In addition the motor bases being exposed on counter tops not only occupy useful space, but the motors often produce stray fields producing static in television and radio receivers.

The broad object of the present invention is to eliminate the foregoing problems by providing a blender-mixer which is constructed and arranged to be operated by a conventional garbage disposal unit.

Referring now to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a blender embodying the features of the present invention operatively connected to the rotor of a sink-type garbage disposer;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view partly in section showing the blender of the invention adapted for squeezing lemons of the like;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. I.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral designates a conventional household sink and the numeral 12 designates broadly a garbage disposal unit which includes the usual receptacle 14 including a neck part 15 for waste matter and the means for attaching the disposer in its position of use in alignment with the drain opening 16 of the sink. The attaching means shown in FIG. I is conventional and comprises an upper tubular member 18 having a flange 20 which engages the upper side of the sink around the drain opening 16. The member 18 is provided with an annular recess 22 receiving the snap ring 24 which is engaged by the spun over lip 26 of a radially extending clamping member 28 having a series of circumferentially spaced threaded opening therein for the reception of adjusting screws 30 which may be screwed upwardly against a clamping plate 32 to move the flange 20 and member 28 away from each other to rigidly connect the blender in its position of use. As can be seen, the member 32 is urged upwardly in the direction of the underside of the sn sink into tight frictional engagement with an annular gasket 36.

The upper edge of the neck I5 of the receptacle 14 is provided with an annular lip 38 and interposed between the lip and the flange member 28, and also engaged by the lower edge of the member 18, is a heavy gasket 40 whose inner annular edge is moulded so as to be somewhat mushroom shaped as indicated at 42 and by the phantom lines 44. A series of S shaped clamping members 46 serve to retain the flange 38 a of the waste receptacle 14 in tight sealing engagement with the outer annular part of the gasket 40 as shown.

As so far described, and with the exception of the specially moulded gasket 40 of the arrangement of the garbage disposal unit within the drain of the sink is substantially conventional.

The blender of the invention comprises a cylindrical member 48 of a size to tightly and frictionally engage the inner face of the gasket 40 at substantially the midpoint of the container. The upper end of the blender cylinder 48 is provided with a removable cover 50 and the lower end of the cylinder is closed by a cover member 52 which is preferably substantially identical to the upper cover member 50. As can be seen, the cover members are provided with an annular groove 54 which in the lower cover receives an O-ring 56 for sealingly and frictionally retaining the lower cover member 52 in its position of use. As shown, the exposed outer surface of the cover members 50, 52 are inwardly tapered as indicated by the numeral 58 to facilitate the insertion of the blender assembly through the central gasket 40.

Each of the cover members 50, 52 is provided with a central boss 60, 62 respectively with the boss of the cover member for the bottom of the blender being centrally apertured to receive a bearing 64 rotatably journaling a vertical spindle or shaft 66 having an enlarged head 68 at its lower end containing a multisided or splined socket 70. Slidably engageable with the socket 70 is a splined spindle 72 containing a threaded socket 74 which is substituted for the usual retaining nut normally engaging the threaded upper end of the drive shaft 76 for the rotor or shredder element 78 of the disposer.

The upper end of the blender spindle 66 is threaded to receive either a conventional nut or the socketed nut 80 shown which tightly sandwiches the inner annular part of a conventional blender impeller 82 between the nut 80 and a resilient washer 84. It should be understood that the described means for attaching the impeller 82 to the spindle 66 is not limited to the arrangement shown as those skilled in the art will recognize that any of a variety of known means may be employed for drivably connecting the impeller 82 to the spindle 66.

The nut 80 may be provided with a socket 86 as shown for the reception of the splined lower end of an elongated shaft 88 which extends through and is centrally journaled in a suitably drilled passage in an upper cover 92 and carries on the upper end a conventional juicer element 94 against which fruit is pressed in a well-known manner with the juice passing into the blender container by way of drilled passages 96 in the closure member 92. The cover member 92, except for the drilled passages, is obviously a moulding identical to the described upper and lower cover members 50, S2.

In use it will be understood that the conventional garbage disposer which is not already adapted to use with the blendermixer of the invention, can be readily adapted to such use in most instances by merely substituting the combined nut and stub shaft 72 of FIG. I for the usual nut which clamps the shredder or rotor member 78 onto its drive shaft 76. Additionally, for the usual gasket between the flanged member 28 and the lip 38 of the container 14, there would be substituted a gasket having the described moulded inner annular part 44 protruding slightly radially into the neck part of the disposer so that when the blender unit is inserted into the neck, the outer part 44 of the gasket 40 is distorted radially outwardly so as to tightly resiliently support the blender above its driving connection to not only resist lateral movement of the container but also to resist vertical movement thereof with respect to the disposer.

For mixing purposes, the blender is inserted into the .disposer with the tapered end 58 of the lower cover member guiding the blender past the gasket 40 until the socket of the blender spindle 66 engages the splined end of the spindle nut 72 whereupon the ingredients to be mixed, if not already in the container, are added thereto, the upper cover member 50 is inserted in place and the disposer started, whereupon the conventional counter top blender is entirely eliminated and furthermore substantially all of the noise generated by the blender part itself is muffled due to the fact that its rotary mechanism is beneath the level of the sink. It will be noted that the blender is simply and firmly supported at spaced positions by the gasket 40 and at its lower end through its connection with the spindle 72. The blender is obviously inexpensive to manufacture, is readily maintained, and easily moved into and out of its position of use. It will be observed that the lower edge of the lower cover member 52 permits the blender-container with its contents to be set down in an upright position with reasonable stability on a counter top.

lclaim:

1. In combination with a sink having a drain opening, a garbage disposal unit beneath said sink and including in align ment with said opening a receptacle, a neck part between said opening and said receptacle and a motor operated rotor in said receptacle; a blender-mixer comprising a container having a closed bottom and removably received in said opening, a driven spindle member journaled centrally through said bottom, a releasable driving connection between said rotor and spindle members, and resilient support means between said neck part and the outer face of said container at a substantial distance above said driving connection, said support means being constructed and arranged to uniformly resist lateral movement of said container in all directions.

2. A blender mixer for use with a sink garbage disposal unit comprising a container having a closed bottom and being adapted to be inserted through a drain opening into a receptaele of a garbage disposal unit, a driven spindle journaled centrally through said bottom and being constructed and arranged for driving connection with the rotor of a garbage disposal unit, an impeller within said container operatively connected to said spindle, said container including a part on the outer face thereof spaced substantially above said bottom and constructed and arranged to receive support means adapted to cooperate with said container and an adjacent part of a garbage disposal unit to resist lateral movement of said container with respect to said disposal unit.

3. The blender of claim 2 wherein the lower end of said container tapers inwardly to facilitate insertion of said container into said disposal unit.

4. The blender of claim 3 wherein the tapering lower end of said container comprises the inwardly sloping outer surface of a removable cover member, said cover member constituting the closed bottom of said container. said spindle being journaled through said cover member.

5. The blender of claim 2 including a releasable connector member carried by said spindle within said container and adapted to be drivably engaged by mating connector member.

6. The blender of claim 5 including an elongated shaft received in said container in coaxial alignment with said driven spindle and having a connector member at its lower end releasably engaging the connector member carried by said blender within said container, a cover member at the upper end of said container, the upper end of said elongated shaft being centrally journaled through said cover upper cover member, and a rotary implement carried by the upper end of said shaft. l

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein the releasable driving connection comprises a vertical spline on one of said members and a multisided socket on the other of said members slidably and drivingly receiving said spline.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said resilient support means comprises an annular gasket extending radially inwardly from the neck part of said disposal unit, the normal unstressed diameter of said gasket being less than the outer diameter of said container so that the latter is frictionally retained by said gasket within said unit.

9. The combination of claim I wherein the lower end of said container is tapered to facilitate insertion thereof through said gasket 10. The combination of claim 2 including an upper cover member, said closed bottom being in the form of a lower cover member, both of said cover members being identical in cross section. I

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein each of said cover members has an annular groove therein adapted to receive a sealing gasket. 

1. In combination with a sink having a drain opening, a garbage disposal unit beneath said sink and including in alignment with said opening a receptacle, a neck part between said opening and said receptacle and a motor operated rotor in said receptacle; a blender-mixer comprising a container having a closed bottom and removably received in said opening, a driven spindle member journaled centrally through said bottom, a releasable driving connection between said rotor and spindle members, and resilient support means between said neck part and the outer face of said container at a substantial distance above said driving connection, said support means being constructed and arranged to uniformly resist lateral movement of said container in all directions.
 2. A blender mixer for use with a sink garbage disposal unit comprising a container having a closed bottom and being adapted to be inserted through a drain opening into a receptacle of a garbage disposal unit, a driven spindle journaled centrally through said bottom and being constructed and arranged for driving connection with the rotor of a garbage disposal unit, an impeller within said container operatively connected to said spindle, said container including a part on the outer face thereof spaced substantially above said bottom and constructed and arranged to receive support means adapted to cooperate with said container and an adjacent part of a garbage disposal unit to resist lateral movement of said container with respect to said disposal unit.
 3. The blender of claim 2 wherein the lower end of said container tapers inwardly to facilitate insertion of said container into said disposal unit.
 4. The blender of claim 3 wherein the tapering lower end of said container comprises the inwardly sloping outer surface of a removable cover member, said cover member constituting the closed bottom of said container, said spindle being journaled through said cover member.
 5. The blender of claim 2 including a releasable connector member carried by said spindle within said container and adapted to be drivably engaged by mating connector member.
 6. The blender of claim 5 including an elongated shaft received in said container in coaxial alignment with said driven spindle and having a connector member at its lower end releasably engaging the connector member carried by said blender within said container, a cover member at the upper end of said container, the upper end of said elongated shaft being centrally journaled through said cover upper cover member, and a rotary implement carried by the upper end of said shaft.
 7. The combination of claim 1 wherein the releasable driving connection comprises a vertical spline on one of said members and a multisided socket on the other of said members slidably and drivingly receiving said spline.
 8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said resilient support means comprises an annular gasket extending radially inwardly from the neck part of said disposal unit, the normal unstressed diameter of said gasket being less than the outer diameter of said container so that the latter is frictionally retained by said gasket within said unit.
 9. The combination of claim 1 wherein the lower end of said container is tapered to facilitate insertion thereof through said gasket.
 10. The combination of claim 2 including an upper cover member, said closed bottom being in the form of a lower cover member, both of said cover members being identical in cross section.
 11. The combination of claim 10 wherein each of said cover members has an annular groove therein adapted to receive a sealing gasket. 